Discussion

Giraffes

Giraffes are the tallest animals on Earth, sometimes growing as much as 18 feet tall.

Hiding isn't an option for giraffes. They tend to be highly visible wherever they are. This makes them easy to see for predators, especially since they live mostly in the open savannas of Sub-Saharan Africa. On the other hand, their eyes are mounted atop a high viewing platform, their loooooong necks, giving them the opportunity to see predators coming from far away. Their eyes are forward enough on their heads that they probably have binocular vision. Giraffes have the same number of vertebrae in their necks as other mammals. Theirs are just longer.

Lions and crocodiles are giraffes' main predators, though hyenas, leopards, and wild dogs are threats, too. As shown below, giraffes defend themselves by viciously kicking enemies with their powerful legs. A single lion doesn't stand much of a chance against a lone, fully-grown giraffe. Gathering in herds provides giraffes with significantly greater protection.

Regardless, packs of predators working together can take down a full-grown giraffe. Young giraffes are much easier prey. Due to predation, various sources estimated that only 25 to 40% of giraffes live to become adults.

When fighting other giraffes, giraffes use their necks and the ossicones atop their heads to deliver blows. Ossicones are the stubby, fur-covered, horn-like structures on top of their heads. That includes the rounded bump on the forehead that only males have.

Giraffes have the longest stride in the animal world and can run as fast as 60 miles per hour for short distances. They have a distinctive lope, with legs on one side moving together, alternating with legs on the other side.

New born giraffes are able to stand and walk in less than an hour after birth.

It doesn't take long for babies to find the local food stand.

An interesting feature of giraffe social life is that lactating mothers will tolerate any baby giraffe to feed; not just their own offspring. For protection, giraffe young will move into the center of herds with they become aware of predators nearby.

Adults need to feed, too, and some of their favorite foods are leaves and twigs from acacia, mimosa, and wild apricot trees. Sources vary, but it is said that giraffes eat as much as 75 pounds of food per day. Because drinking water with their long necks and stilt-like legs can be difficult, giraffes may drink water infrequently.

Giraffes may drink once a day or go for several days without drinking. They get most of their water from the food they eat.

Acacias are nice food for giraffes, but they can be deadly, too. When acacia leaves are being eaten, acacia trees produce increased quantities of tannin in its bark that works its way into the leaves. They also emit an airborne chemical that causes other acacia trees to start producing quantities of tannin, too. Tannin is a toxin that is deadly if enough is consumed.

Giraffes have developed a strategy to get around the tannin problem. When eating acacia leaves, they only feed on any given tree for a limited time. They begin with trees that are downwind of other acacias, then gradually work through groves upwind until done.

Giraffe tongues are up to 18 inches long and are bi-colored. It is capable of wrapping around leaves and branches. Some say it can also be used to clean the wax out of their ears, though no one has actually seen that behavior.

t is thought that the outer tongue is black to protect it from the sun.

There is some debate over whether all giraffes belong to a single species, is one species with up to eight sub-species, or are members of eight or nine separate species. Studies are currently underway to try to resolve the issue. In the African wilds, different sub-species, if that is what they are, live in different areas. The tallest giraffe type is the Masai giraffe, frequently growing to 18 feet. One Masai in a zoo was measured at 20 feet. Kordofan giraffes typically grow to only 12 to 15 feet tall. Different giraffe types can mate if they encounter each other; in zoos, for example.

The closest relative to giraffes is the okapi.

Okapis were only discovered by Western scientists in 1901, late for such a large animal. This is due to their preference for forested areas and the ease with which they blend in, given their coloration and shy habits. Among their similarities to giraffes is their 18 inch tongue.

One giraffe living until recently in the Santa Barbara Zoo gained worldwide fame. Named Gemina (G pronounced like J), this giraffe had a crooked neck.

There are multiple myths about how her neck got that way, but the real story is that she was born apparently normal in 1986 in San Diego's Wild Animal Park (now known as San Diego Zoo Safari Park) and transferred to the Santa Barbara Zoo in 1987 where her neck began to visibly warp when she was 3-years old. It is believed that the deformity wasn't causing her pain. Gemina was euthanized in early 2008 when she stopped eating; probably because of old age. One source says that is normal for a zoo giraffe, but other sources say that zoo giraffes can live up to 32 years.

Giraffes are fascinating animals, and always stand out in a crowd.

Artwork

Since there were no giraffes in Japan for classical Japanese artists to paint before the modern era, there is virtually no Japanese artwork depicting giraffes. I did manage to find one, however. A print by ...

Seisai Yoshimura (? - ?)

Little is known about Seisai. From the way he signed his name, he was probably Utagawa Yoshimura, also known as Itō Yoshimura (1846 - 1887?). Seisai Yoshimura is the name used on a book titled Jūrui Gafu (Album of Animals) published in the 1880s. It may have been commemorating the opening of Tōkyō's Ueno Zoo in 1882, the first time that collections of animals were publicly exhibited in Japan; some of them imported from other countries. The opening drew huge crowds. Giraffes were not among the animals shown, though Jūrui Gafu included a print of one. The print is realistic enough that Seisai was probably working from another artist's image. Note that Seisai's giraffe shows horns on his giraffe's head rather than ossicones. As artwork goes, it isn't very sophisticated, but here it is.